Johnson, Peter E., -1881

Peter E. Johnson (b. unknown-d. September 1881, at sea), was a crew member of the USS Jeannette which was crushed by ice and sank June 6, 1881, in the Arctic Sea north of Siberia while undertaking an expedition to find the "Polar Sea". The cruise had originated at San Francisco, CA on July 8, 1879. Eventually the crew found open sea and Johnson and seven other crew members set sail for the northern Siberian coast, all in one of three small boats, his skippered by the Jeannette's Executive Officer, Lieutenant Charles W Chipp. This boat was last seen September 12, 1881 when the three boats were separated by a fierce storm. All in Chipp's boat were presumed lost at sea, no trace of boat or crew were ever found.